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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 5, 2015 16:55:28 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 5, 2015 18:30:10 GMT
I switched to postal voting for all elections many years ago. I now enjoy early voting so can make my choice then ignore the nonsense nearer the time and I also enjoy not being harrased by candidates on the way to polling stations. A much more relaxed way to vote! I do recommend it.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 30, 2015 21:55:24 GMT
And the election is GO!!!!
No idea who I'm going to vote for.....
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 31, 2015 11:27:01 GMT
They're all arseholes out to punish the poor/disabled/unemployed/low paid/foreign nationals, going by announced policies and the usual austerity pish. Remember when politics was about 'vote for us and we will give you X' rather than 'vote for us and we will take away X from you'.
This gives me a real problem. I feel it is very important to vote but am struggling to find someone to vote for with decent social values. It's a bit of a conundrum. Certainly can't be the Conservatives or Liberals who have been doing their damndest to make Social Care jobs vanish and to leave the most vulnerable in society to rot.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 31, 2015 11:43:14 GMT
Who I vote for is pretty irrelevant as labour always win and I doubt the tories or libdems have done anything to enhance their reputation in these parts in the last 5 years. Maybe theres a non insane independent or green I can vote for, but at the last local elections it was mostly variants of UKIP or worse.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2015 12:04:50 GMT
Certainly can't be the Conservatives or Liberals who have been doing their damndest to make Social Care jobs vanish and to leave the most vulnerable in society to rot. Too right. The question becomes then do you vote for those must likely to get them out or one of the other options. I can remember years ago at church in Kingston hearing a debate between two labour voters. Kingston had been a tory safe seat, the MP was Norman Lamont, quite a decent local MP iirc. The arguement went do you vote labour because it's what you believe in or vote lib dem because they're the viable option for unseating the torys here and thus contributing to unseating them nationwide. UKIP are off the voting agenda for me. I can't in any good conciousness vote for the Lib Dems after the pigs ear they've made of moderating tory policy: I feel they've morally bankrupted themselves by choosing power over what they believe in. Green round here is a non event. That leaves Labour as the only viable anti tory vote but I don't see them exactly standing on a restore the benefits plaform either. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 31, 2015 17:35:00 GMT
Anyone considering not voting, I suggest should listen to Obama's recent speech on the subject of voting rights, and think again.
Martin
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Mar 31, 2015 17:41:15 GMT
Similar dilemma here. None of the parties have covered themselves in glory. If the Green's would finally sort out their anti-science policies inherited from their earlier environmental/anti-biosciences pressure group days they would get my vote.
Already been handed several SNP flyers today by campaigners blocking the pavements forcing me into the road. Apparently the SNP care so much for the NHS (unlike *anyone* else who must hate it rather than have a slightly different vision for it (whether good or bad) that they are labelling themselves the NHSNP on some of these flyers. Yawn.
And don't get me started on UKIP's big picture of Nigel Farage, sorry... new election pledges. The most petty, uncharitable and self-centred views I've seen on a political campaign. Hardly the kind of British values I want to see our country standing for today.
Hoping for either a decent independent in my area or the Downing Street Cat will be getting my vote.
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kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
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Post by kayevcee on Mar 31, 2015 21:44:00 GMT
This is a student area, and currently deep red Labour despite the steady gentrification of the student body since the feepocalypse. I suspect there'll be some lingering resentment so the tories and lib dems (pfffft) don't have a hope. I might go Green on principle.
-Nick
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 1, 2015 7:18:57 GMT
I think it's a very interesting time in politics. Nobody, least of all the politicians, has a clue what government will be in power two months from now. Thankfully, we don't live in a country where ballot-rigging or intimidation of opposition parties or a government-controlled media fix the outcome, and in a few short decades we've somehow gone from a situation where one of the top two parties always seems to have a majority to a situation where several other parties, from the SNP to UKIP, have strong prospects of being coalition partners. I honestly didn't think we could get to such a situation without proportional representation, but thanks to devolution, the European issue and the Lib Dems losing their shine as the default protest vote party, we have. We might get a majority Labour or Tory government, we might get a left-wing coalition, we might get a right-wing one, we might have a minority government going it alone, or we might get a combination no-one has seriously considered. The mathematics may all come down to a few seats either way. No person or party or newspaper or company has the ability to determine the outcome - only the collective will of the voters, which is a mind that is very hard to read as it doesn't correspond to the will of any one type of voter.
The outcome is unlikely to satisfy any one faction, particularly when the coffers are empty, so everyone should prepare to be disappointed with whatever compromises the winner(s) has/have to make, but on average each of us has a 40-millionth-or-so say in the outcome (give or take, depending on how safe or marginal your seat may be), and can either exercise that or put the future in other people's hands.
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 1, 2015 22:27:31 GMT
Despite my current dissatisfaction with the current parties available I will of course cast my vote.
I still think it's important to engage with the democratic process, even if it appears it doesn't really want to engage with us. I think the post election landscape will be interesting to say the least. I think Clegg is done for and the Lib Dems as a political force will be done, at least for a good few terms, and deservedly so given the backpedalling on promises and enabling the Conservatives to plough on with their Victorian agenda.
Andy
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 4, 2015 19:46:29 GMT
It is a very interesting time.
I have not idea what I'm going to do. But of course I will vote no matter what.
I don't like much of what the Conservatives have done. Lib Dems are non-existant. I do not like the look of the two Eds AT ALL, coupla goobers they are. I can't stand that chap in charge of UKIP. Not sure if there's going to be a decent Independent round 'ere. Oh what to do. What to do.
Who's the best of a bad bunch?
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kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
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Post by kayevcee on Apr 5, 2015 10:33:51 GMT
The Greens probably have the most compassionate agenda of all the English parties, although they have some self-defeating policies as well (like their long-standing dislike of nuclear power and reluctance to consider GM crops outwith the Monsanto Monopoly). There's no danger of them gaining a majority, but having a couple more green MPs around in the HoC can't do any harm. Caroline Lucas has done a great job for her constituency given the circumstances.
I'm voting Green in my area, although I have the security of knowing that Labour have my constituency in the bag if I don't.
-Nick
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 6, 2015 19:49:37 GMT
No security here. SNP in danger of sweeping the board everywhere in Scotland.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 8, 2015 16:51:03 GMT
Very pleased that Ed Milliband has pledged to end the Non Domicile tax status.
It's a shame he's only coming out with things like this so late in the day. Aggressively going after wealthy tax avoiders and tax avoiding companies should be something that is expected of a Labour party, not a welcome surprise.
Andy
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 15, 2015 9:06:36 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 17, 2015 12:06:54 GMT
Was muchly amused by local tory party worker sticking addressed letters through wrong doors in Swindon today :-)
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 21, 2015 17:57:35 GMT
Postal vote ballot arrived so I have already cast my vote. Depressingly, it was an excercise in picking the Least Worst option rather than being enthused.
Disappointed not to see any comedy candidates. Where are my Monster Raving Loonies or Yogic Flyers? Darn it.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Apr 22, 2015 11:05:50 GMT
I was talking to a friend this weekend and suggested that this really would have been the year to propose a satirical party - I'm thinking that I should have stood locally as the Hydra Candidate. The manifesto pledges about ensuring national security, freedom from crime and the elimination of anti-social behaviour almost write themselves. (Mind you, the only thing that stops me thinking that Hydra are already standing is I can't work out which party they are hidden in. Can't be UKIP because they are obviously the misdirection). The other alternative would be just to have stood as the Decepticon candidate. We have splinter Labour candidates here normally whose platforms are far less intelligible.
Karl
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 22, 2015 11:08:53 GMT
The only certainty in this election is that Hub members will be watching the Falkirk result closely given our fondness of its previous representative.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 22, 2015 11:12:31 GMT
Is the dishonourable gentleman himself standing?
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Post by legios on Apr 22, 2015 11:40:09 GMT
Does not look like it as far as I know. I doubt another party would have him, and Labour gave him the heave-ho a while back. Standing as an independent around here takes a special brand of insanity that even he lacks I think.
There is a candidate whose first name is Galen. But sadly as he is standing for what used to be the Liberal Democrats I cannot vote for him.
Karl
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 22, 2015 12:34:10 GMT
One could say you are not in a-Kord with him then?
Ah ha ha!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 22, 2015 14:34:50 GMT
There needs to be another candidate called Zarak so Galen can fight him. Such fighting could be a Falkirk MP tradition anyway. Allegedly.
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 22, 2015 15:33:09 GMT
I'm sure his arm was just momentarily magnetised.
Just over two weeks to go and no idea who I'll be voting for yet.
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 22, 2015 16:36:35 GMT
Me neither.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 26, 2015 12:06:56 GMT
A question for m'learned colleagues: are political parties allowed to access information on your method of casting a vote?
I ask because I've just had a letter from one of the candidates that starts "you are about to receive your postal vote"
Surely that info would be covered by data protection act etc?
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 26, 2015 12:13:37 GMT
They may be able to check via the Electoral Register in the local library (voters roll).
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 26, 2015 12:38:11 GMT
I think it is an electoral roll thing. I had a letter exactly like that from the Conservative candidate this week.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 29, 2015 13:11:05 GMT
Still nothing about the true main issues of our times. Where are the Doctor Who missing episodes? Is Combiner Wars doomed at UK retail? Where are Sooty and Sweep? Have they been seen?
Where are my He-Man jellies? I see nothing in the manifestos about how they will be returned to delight our tummies once more.
-Ralph
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